Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in San Francisco Unified

This page covers 76 elementary schools in San Francisco Unified. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score near the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

76
Schools Ranked
California
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 76
1
rank
Tule Elk Park Children Center
Grades KG–KG71 students
Ranked for: high-opportunity neighborhood (76/100) · above-average investment ($27,106/student)
74
/100
Opportunity
76/100
Above nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$27,106
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
32%
Low economic need
2
rank
Noriega Children Center
Grades KG–KG44 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($27,106/student)
68
/100
Per-Pupil Spend
$27,106
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
45%
Near nat'l 52.2%
3
rank
Sherman Elementary
Grades KG–05287 students
Ranked for: high-opportunity neighborhood (76/100) · above-average investment ($27,106/student)
67
/100
Student:Teacher
19.1:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
76/100
Above nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$27,106
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
39%
Near nat'l 52.2%
4
rank
Lilienthal (Claire) Elementary
Grades KG–08669 students
Ranked for: high-opportunity neighborhood (76/100) · above-average investment ($27,106/student)
66
/100
Student:Teacher
22.9:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
76/100
Above nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$27,106
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
19%
Low economic need
5
rank
Garfield Elementary
Grades KG–05194 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($27,106/student)
65
/100
Student:Teacher
15.8:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$27,106
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
51%
Near nat'l 52.2%
6
rank
Yick Wo Elementary
Grades KG–05209 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($27,106/student)
65
/100
Student:Teacher
17.4:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$27,106
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
35%
Low economic need
7
rank
Argonne Elementary
Grades KG–05361 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($27,106/student)
63
/100
Student:Teacher
19.5:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$27,106
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
28%
Low economic need
8
rank
Milk (Harvey) Civil Rights Elementary
Grades KG–05169 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($27,106/student)
63
/100
Student:Teacher
16.9:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
56/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$27,106
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
28%
Low economic need
9
rank
San Francisco Public Montessori
Grades KG–05118 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($27,106/student)
61
/100
Student:Teacher
16.9:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
56/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$27,106
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
49%
Near nat'l 52.2%
10
rank
Alamo Elementary
Grades KG–05410 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($27,106/student)
60
/100
Student:Teacher
21.0:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$27,106
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
32%
Low economic need
66 more elementary schools in San Francisco Unified not shown here.
View all schools in San Francisco Unified
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
76
Elementary Schools
106
Total Schools
74
#1 Score
54
Avg Score
Top Ranked Elementary School
Compare San Francisco Unified with neighbouring districts
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Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.